Cold water inlet orifice for hot water tank



Oct. 22, 1968 H. s. KUSTER 3,406,717

COLD WATER INLET ORIFICE FOR HOT WATER TANK Filed July 29, 1966 INVENTOR HARRY B. KUSTER lz 5Y2 d2 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,406,717 COLD WATER INLET ORIFICE FOR HOT WATER TANK Harry B. Kuster, Wayne County, near Center-ville, Ind., assignor to Golay & C0., Inc., Cambridge City, Ind. Filed July 29, 1966, Ser. No. 568,887

' 6 Claims. (Cl. 137-592) This invention relates to an orifice in the cold water inlet of a pressurized heated water tank. In action, cold Water is admitted to the tank under pressure and near the bottom of the tank as heated water is drawn from the top. The water in the tank is heated with the highest water temperature normally being adjacent the top of the tank.

The purpose of the invention is to provide means to control the rate of internal mixing of the inflowing water with the heated water in storage, to the end that a stratification of the cold water under the heated water is set up rather than a diffusion by a range of currents of cold water quickly intermixing that cold water throughout the hot water thereby quickly lowering the temperature of the hot water and making less maximum heated water available in a given time of flow of the hot water from the tank.

It has been discovered that by using a specific form and mounting of a submerged orifice at the tank cold water inlet, the fiow of the cold water into the tank is free of vertically rotating currents and sets up a flat stratum of that cold water with an approximately horizontal plane of division between the top of the stratum and the bottom of the heated water, and that this planar division tends to persist to and through the heater zone in the tank while heated water is drawn off from the top portion of the tank.

This means that a greater volume of water at a predetermined upper temperature may be drawn before the temperature begins to lower from the uprising volume of cold Water that has not been given a sufficient time interval to rise in temperature to that predetermined degree.

With these factors in mind, reference is made to the accompanying drawing of one form of the invention new best known to me, in which drawing FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a tank to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 2 is a view in central vertical section through the tank on the line 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in inner end elevation through a cold water inlet tank fitting;

FIG. 4 is a view in central vertical section through the fitting alone on the line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view in inner end elevation of a modified form of cold water inlet fitting; and

FIG. 6 is a view in vertical section on the line 6-6 in FIG. 5.

The invention may be applied to any one of a wide range of shapes and sizes of tanks. It is herein shown as applied to the simple form of an upright, cylindrical tank 10 which has a hot water oulet fitting 11 through the upper end side portion of the tank, and a cold water inlet fitting generally indicated by the numeral 12 located at the lower side end of the tank 10.

It is this fitting 12, to which attention is specifically directed.

This fitting 12 has a nipple 13 which passes through the tank wall 14 and is fixed thereto such as by welding, to have the central axis of the nipple approximately horizontally disposed. The nipple 13 will have an inner end 15 disposed slightly within the tank 10, FIG. 2, such without limitation thereto, by an inch or less.

3,406,717 Patented Oct. 22, 1968 A headed member 16 has a cylindrical portion 17 engaged within the outer end portion of the nipple 13, herein shown as by threads to permit ready removal of the member 16. Where the engagement may be permanent, a sweated connection may be employed. This member 16 has a major diameter chamber 18 entering therein from the inner end 19 of the member 16. Into this chamber 18, there leads a smaller diameter bore 20, herein shown as being screw-threaded although it may be smooth for a sweated joint with a supply pipe (not shown).

A semi-circular plate 21 is fixed to and across the lower half of the end 19, FIGS. 3 and 4, and care is taken to have the straight edge 22 of the plate 21 be diametrical disposed across the chamber 18. The nipple 13 is fixed to the tank wall 14 as above indicated. The member 16 is fitted into the nipple to have the plate edge 22 horizontally disposed.

In this manner an orifice designated by the numeral 23, is formed to be semi-circular in opening and as an open ing from the chamber 18 which is an enlarged cavity between the plate 21 and the smaller diameter of the cold water entry bore 20. The discharge flow of the water from this submerged orifice 23 is fiat and into a planar stratum as indicated in FIG. 2 by the numeral 24, free of contrary currents. If the member be turned to have the orifice lower edge 22 deviate from the horizontal, the area of the Stratification will rise and the rate of internal mixing of the cold Water with the heated water increases. As indicated in FIG. 2, the stratum 24 is below the electric heating element 25. Other heating devices may be employed. It is the shape and the positioning of this orifice, rotatively and elevationally, which controls the desired stratification.

The orifice 23 is primarily designed for use in relatively low tanks such as are commonly of kitchen or bathroom counter heights, or in the mobile homes where space is at a premium.

For taller tanks of the same relatively small diameter, the same orifice may be used. But for both larger diameter and taller tanks, the orifice will be modified to preserve the stratum eifect of the infiowing cold water.

This modified contour of orifice is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. In this modification, in place of the semi-circular opening above the centrally, horizontally disposed edge 22, there is a vertically central slot opening 26 defined between top and bottom parallel edges 27 and 28. The ends of the opening 26- are the exposed curved portions of the end 19 of the chamber 18, FIG. 5. The parallel edges 27 and 28 are horizontally disposed. Any appreciable deviation from the horizontal will promote an increase in rate of mixing of the cold water with the heated Water.

Either one of these members and their orifice may be a reducer pipe fitting forming the above described member 16; a welded assembly; upset tubing; casting; a stamping; or a molding of metal or of a plastic material. The enlarged chamber 18 between the smaller diameter inlet, and the submerged orifice promotes successful operation in forming the Stratification.

While I have shown and described the invention in the one precise form, structural changes may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a pressurized heater tank having a cold water inlet adjacent its bottom and a hot water outlet adjacent its top,

means for stratifying inflowing cold water below said outlet, comprising a curving chamber within the inner portion opening axially through the inner end of the fitting, and a fluid conducting bore of smaller diameter than said chamber communicating axially of and between said chamber and the outer end of said fitting;

a chamber partial closure over a lower part of said chamber inner opening;

said closure having atopedge which is a chord of the curvature of said chamber;

said top edge, being horizontally disposed;

the opening above said edge defining a submerged orifice; and

a cylindrical tubular member receiving and extending from the fitting inner end portion through the wall of said tank.

t 2. The structure of claim 1,- in which said chamber, is cylindrical and said closure top edge is diametrical of said chamber.

3. The structure of claim 2, in which said chamber opening above said closure edge is semicircular.

4. The structure of claim 1, in which said closure also has an upper part extending over an upper part of said chamber inner opening;

a fitting having tank inner and outer-end porticns,

'4 said upper'closure'part having an'under edge parallel with and spaced above said closure chord; and said two edges defining a slot opening from said chamber. 5. The structure of claim 4, in which said chamber is horizontally cylindrical; and said slot opening is centrally disposed of the chamber axis, and the slot edges are substantially horizontally disposed. v t r 6. The structure of claim 4', in which ends of said slot opening are defined by portions of the curved Wall of said chamber thereappearing.

References Cited v M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM R. CLINE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A PRESSURIZED HEATER TANK HAVING A COLD WATER INLET ADJACENT ITS BOTTOM AND A HOT WATER OUTLET ADJACENT ITS TOP, MEANS FOR STRATIFYING INFLOWING COLD WATER BELOW SAID OUTLET, COMPRISING A FITTING HAVING TANK INNER AND OUTER END PORTIONS, A CURVING CHAMBER WITHIN THE INNER PORTION OPENING AXIALLY THROUGH THE INNER END OF THE FITTING, AND A FLUID CONDUCTING BORE OF SMALLER DIAMETER THAN SAID CHAMBER COMMUNICATING AXIALLY OF AND BETWEEN SAID CHAMBER AND THE OUTER END OF SAID FITTING; A CHAMBER PARTIAL CLOSURE OVER A LOWER PART OF SAID CHAMBER INNER OPERNING; SAID CLOSURE HAVING A TOP EDGE WHICH IS CHORD OF THE CURVATURE OF SAID CHAMBER; SAID TOP EDGE BEING HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED; THE OPENING ABOVE SAID EDGE DEFININING A SUBMERGED ORIFICE; AND A CYLINDRICAL TUBULAR MEMBER RECEIVING AND EXTENDING FROM THE FITTING INNER END PORTION THROUGH THE WALL OF SAID TANK. 